Despite budget cuts, scientific research continues into outer space

1. Alan Shepard

Alan Shepard sparked a generation of aspiring astronauts with the United States' first manned space flight on May 5, 1961. That same month President John F. Kennedy stoked the space craze, announcing that an American would walk on the moon within the decade. Fifty years on, despite budget stress and competing priorities, it's still clear that the giant leaps continue.